Those gains over the previous month were largely seen in leisure and hospitality jobs, professional and business services, and government.

The news was good on the local level as well, Washington said, as every metro statistical area and every county saw rates drop. Wilcox County, which traditionally has one of the state's highest unemployment rates, saw it drop two full percentage points this month, he said.

Shelby County had the lowest rate at 3.3 percent, while Wilcox County was the highest at 11.7 percent.